Conventionally, in the medical field, a radiation image (an X-ray image using X-rays, in particular) is obtained by irradiating an object with radiation and making a radiation detector detect the intensity of transmitted radiation. In general, a network is constructed in a hospital and various medical apparatuses are connected to the network and cooperate with an HIS (Hospital Information System), an RIS (Radiology Information System), a medical image server, and the like.
In general, when using a radiation imaging apparatus in a hospital, a doctor sends an examination order which designates an examination region of a subject and the like to an examination technician who operates the radiation imaging apparatus. The examination order includes imaging examination information including different combinations of the imaging postures of the subject, imaging regions, imaging directions, and the like, which are necessary for the examination. An examination order is directly and manually input to the radiation imaging apparatus by the examination technician (operator) or automatically input to the radiation imaging apparatus via network such an HIS or RIS.
Assume that an examination order is input via an HIS, which designates imaging of a given patient in the order of “1. upright chest front”, “2. decubitus chest front”, “3. upright chest side”, and “4. decubitus chest side”. A doctor who inputs an examination order generally inputs an examination order based on the sequence of interpreting radiation images. For this reason, the sequence designated by the order sometimes differs from the sequence which facilitates imaging performed by the examination technician. Executing radiation imaging in accordance with the sequence designated by an examination order input by the doctor sometimes forces a patient to change his/her posture for each imaging operation, thereby increasing the burden on the patient.
Under this circumstance, PTL 1 discloses an examination system which changes an imaging sequence based on a predetermined conversion table before imaging.